Hello everyone. Thought I'd say hi and introduce my "poor man's highend" system.
The Dynaco amps, Lazarus preamp, and Sterling Acoustics speakers have been the heart of this system for more than 30 years. In 2020 the amps got a major overhaul with the addition of the VTA driver boards, solid state rectification, new caps throughout, new driver tubes, and new KT66 output tubes. The preamp got freshened up with several new caps, resistors, and new tubes shortly after. For a source, I rotate in a few different turntables with a variety of carts that connect to a modified Bugle 3 phono stage (my favorite cart in my current collection is a Nagaoka MP150 body mated to a JN-P500 nude fine line stylus). There's also a Denon 5 disc CD player feeding a Topping E30 DAC. Lots of DIY touches and modifications in this system.
The system is currently in a horizontal bi-amp configuration with the Dyna/VTA amps used as single channel mono blocks driving the mids and tweeters of the main speakers. Each driver has it's own input. There's an active crossover feeding a Kenwood KA-3500 integrated amp that drives the main woofers from 80 hz down, and also feeds the Definitive Technology subwoofer. It's not fancy, but sounds wonderful to me, and gets enjoyed everyday!
The Dynaco amps, Lazarus preamp, and Sterling Acoustics speakers have been the heart of this system for more than 30 years. In 2020 the amps got a major overhaul with the addition of the VTA driver boards, solid state rectification, new caps throughout, new driver tubes, and new KT66 output tubes. The preamp got freshened up with several new caps, resistors, and new tubes shortly after. For a source, I rotate in a few different turntables with a variety of carts that connect to a modified Bugle 3 phono stage (my favorite cart in my current collection is a Nagaoka MP150 body mated to a JN-P500 nude fine line stylus). There's also a Denon 5 disc CD player feeding a Topping E30 DAC. Lots of DIY touches and modifications in this system.
The system is currently in a horizontal bi-amp configuration with the Dyna/VTA amps used as single channel mono blocks driving the mids and tweeters of the main speakers. Each driver has it's own input. There's an active crossover feeding a Kenwood KA-3500 integrated amp that drives the main woofers from 80 hz down, and also feeds the Definitive Technology subwoofer. It's not fancy, but sounds wonderful to me, and gets enjoyed everyday!
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